Application of hair treatment compositions to distinct hair strands allows the user to achieve a different look than a full head application. Hair treatment compositions for providing a hair strand effects include highlighting compositions, dyeing compositions, perming compositions, styling compositions and mixtures thereof.
Hair strand effects such as those provided by highlighting compositions and dyeing compositions must be precisely applied where desired. For example, if a too abundant amount of highlighting composition is applied to the root, it may transfer to the neighbouring unselected hair strands. This may alter the overall end result and may totally disrupt the pattern that the user has tried to create. If an excessive amount of product is applied to the root, the colour effect will not be consistent along the length of the hair, leading to an undesired visual effect. If, instead, insufficient composition is applied to the hair strands, the evenness of the hair strand effect may not be achieved producing an end result which is visually unacceptable. Hence it is important that a consistent amount of product is applied uniformly along the hair strands being treated.
One known method for providing hair strand effects such as highlighting is the cap and hook system. A cap, provided with holes, is positioned over the head and hair strands are pulled out with a hook. Far from being accurate, the cap and hook system suffers from several drawbacks including random selection of the hair strands via the holes on the cap and the likelihood of applying the highlighting composition to only a portion of the selected hair strands and not to the root portion.
Several applicators have been designed for application of a hair treatment composition to independent bundles of hair strands as alternatives to the cap and hook system. These applicators belong to two general fields. One field comprises applicators based on combs and/or brushes. The other group comprises applicators having two articulated portions which are movable one relative to the other. Many attempts have been disclosed in this later field. U.S. Pat. No. 3,030,968 refers to an applicator for liquid treating material to be loaded by immersion. This applicator comprises a trough and a hair guide member mounted on the ends of the legs of a U-shaped resilient spring. The spring allows for manual compression and permits the hair guide member to fit into the trough. U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,231 discloses a device for applying a hair product to hair strands. This device comprises two articulated portions; the application means to be loaded by immersion and the retaining member to keep the hair strands on the applicator means while the device is in use. Another attempt is shown in US2003/0024544 wherein a device is disclosed provided with a cavity for the hair product and a retention member which is elastically deformable. The retention member may comprise porous or fibrous material and the cavity is provided with at least one notch to keep the hair strands in position during the application of the hair treatment composition. However the use of such members has a number of drawbacks, in particular the deposition of the composition is not uniform across all the hair strands and or may excessively coat the hair or not coat some hair strands at all. Moreover, the composition may also be displaced from the applicator causing mess.
It is generally recognized that the self-application of a composition to achieve hair strand effects are difficult per se, in particular those for highlighting and dyeing. To achieve the expected end results, an applicator capable of facilitating the self-application of a hair treatment composition needs to be conceived to address several technical challenges but, in particular, the applicator should evenly apply the composition to independent bundles of hair strands. Evenness is very important when the composition is a highlighting or dyeing composition. The permanent effect provided by these compositions is not immediately visible after the application and if the result is not appealing, it is not easily reversed. An applicator should hence ensure homogeneous coating along the length and width of the bundle of hair strands and likewise on the front and rear surfaces.
In addition, such applicators should apply an amount of hair treatment composition, which is sufficient to coat all of the hair strands and thereby provide a hair strand effect without transferring to neighbouring strands or the scalp and skin. Furthermore, the applicator should not apply but then subsequently scrape off the hair treatment composition while the user moves the applicator along the bundle of hair strands. The application with such an applicator should also occur in a tidy and clean fashion without the hair treatment composition leaking out of the hair treatment applicator. The applicator should also allow the movement of hair through the applicator without hindering its path resulting in snaring, entanglement and potentially discomfort to the user.
Finally, such an applicator for hair treatment compositions should be easy to use; it should be cheap and easy to manufacture and it should not require any special experience and training in matters such as how much and where to load the hair treatment composition. Ideally, the consumer should be able to load and use the applicator by simply following a few instructions provided by the manufacturer.
It has now been found that an applicator, as defined herein after can significantly improve the application of a hair treatment composition to provide hair strand effects.